Fire alarm succession box



Oct. 11, 1932. E. A. FALLER 1,882,071

FIRE ALARM SUCCESSION BOX Filed July 29, 1927 2 SheetsSheet l Oct. 11, 1932. E. A; FALLER 1,882,071

FIRE ALARM S UCCESSION BOX Filed July 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 11, 1932 ERNEST FALLER,.OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK FIRE ALARM. SUCGESSION BOX Application filed July 29, 1927. Serial No. 209,370.

The preseiit invention relates to fire alarm succession boxes of the non-interfering type such as shown in U. S. Patents #553,873 and #621,093, and consists primarily of an improvement in the type of fire alarm succession box disclosed in the said patents.

The prior fire alarm boxes disclosed in the above mentioned patents are of such a complicated nature that they do not render them- ](i selves readily to low cost and economical manufacture, the parts being so designed as to require the use of castings and a large number of pins which may be, readily dislocated. A further disadvantage of such prior 1:, fire alarm boxes is that the main spring has heretofore been located outside of the side plates and so arranged that a side pull on the mechanism with a loss of power results.

A primary object of the present invention 2-.) is to provide a fire alarm succession box of the type mentioned in which the mechanisms are simplified and durable, lend themselves to quantity production by permitting the use of punched metallic parts rather than castings, and in which the number of pins and parts are reduced to a minimum so that the mechanisms may be accuratel manufactured in large quantities and at re atively low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means for arresting the operation of the mechanism after a predetermined interval of time, when the signaling circuit has been seized by other boxes, or when ab- 5 normal circuit conditions exist, without permitting the main spring to run down so that the box may again be pulled without a rewinding of the spring, the mechanism; how ever, being permitted to run a substantially longer; time before coming to a stop than has heretofore been available.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism in which the return spring on the lever controlled by the non-interfering magnet is retracted under the influence of plates is avoide gravity instead of a spring, assuring greater reliability of the mechanism.

Still further objects of the invention are such as may be attained by the utilization of the various combinations and sub-combina- 5 tions and principles hereinafter set forth and as more fully defined by the scope of the appended claims.

' Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the essential parts of the preferred form of my improved mechanism.

Figure 2 is a right side elevation of the form of invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a left side elevation of the form of invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detailed view of the locking lever construction.

- Figure 5 is a detailed view showing the control lever construction.

Figure 6 is a detailed view showing the contact control lever construction.

Figure '1 is a detailed view showing the emergency stop rocker construction.

As shown in the dra-wings, my improved apparatus comprises an actuating train of gears of the usual type actuated by the main or driving spring 1. Spring 1 is disposed between the great wheel 2 and side plate? (Figure 2) and is connected to great wheel 2 and its winding spindle journaled in side plates 3 and 3 through any usual form of pawl and ratchet mechanism permitting winding of the main spring in well known manner. The arrangement of spring 1 between the wheel 2 so and plate 3 is a novel feature of my invention permitting an arrangement in which the side wise pull and loss of power in prior arrangements such as shown in Patent #621,093 in which the sprin is located outside of the side 811 d. Wheel 2 is provided with an annular projecting flange 4, said flange being cut away so as to form diametrically opposite openings 5. A locking lever '6 (Figures 2 and 4) of punched metal is rigidly secured magnet is energized.

to a spindle 7, the ends of which are journaled' in lates 3 and 3. A stop member 8 is pivotal y secured to lever 6 by means of a pin 9'. Stop member 8 is provided with a rounded nose section 9 for a purpose that will more fully hereinafter appear, and is supported for a swinging movement between projections 10 and 11 of lever 6 and a spring 12 (Figure 4) normally urges member 8 towards projection 10. When the mechanism is at rest member 8 fits into one of th openings 5 of flange 4 and abuts against the stop projection of locking lever 6 as shown in Figure 1, holding the parts at rest. As shown in Figure 1, a spring 12 is connected between a projection of lever 6 and the frame work tending to rotate lever 6 clockwise, as is well understood by those skilled in the art. When the mechanism is in operation the end of stop member 8 rides on the periphery of flange 4 of great wheel 2.

Rigidly secured to the supporting spindle 7 for the locking lever 6 is one end of a punched metal starting lever 13 (Figures 1, 2 and 4) to the other end of which a starting button 14 is secured. Button 1 1 is disposed outside of plate 3 and is arranged to be actu ated to move spindle 7 and locking lever 6 in a counter clockwise direction in Figure 1 against the tension of spring 12' to removeth' stop member 8 from opening 5 of the flange 4 initiating operation of the gear train.

A non-interfering magnet 15 (Figures 1,

r 2 and 3) is mounted on top of the framework and is arranged to operate a punched metal controlling lever 16 (Figure 1) which is pivotally supported by means of the pin 17 from the punched metal side plates 3 and 3, and has riveted at its upper end actuating armature 18 for the non-interfering magnet 15. Rigidly secured to the control lever 16 is a threaded weight,-carry1ng extension 19 (Figure 1) upon which the actuating weight 20 is adjustably threaded and. locked in position by the locking nut 21 so arranged as to swing armature 18 away from magnet 15 unless the armature is held to the magnet cores by magnetic attraction. When the control lever 16 is retracted under the influence of the weight of controlling weight 20, armature 18 is moved far enoug away from the magnet 15 so as notfto be attracted when the As shown in Figures 3 and 5, control lever 16 is provided with an offset portion22 the lower end of said lever being provided with a sidewardly extending projection 23 arranged so that projection 23 will be engaged at the proper'time as more fully hereinafter set forth by a pin 24 carried by the gear 25 of the actuating gear train, pin 24 being so arranged as to move control lever 16 to shift the armature 18 in sufficient proximity with the core of magnet 15 to permit the magnetic attraction of the magnet to become suficient- 1y effective to attract the'armature 18 and lever 16, and to hold the armature attracted against the effect of the controlling weight 20. Control lever 16 is provided near its center with a pro ection 26 which is adapted to engagethe 0 set or projection 27 (Figures 1 and 4) of locking lever 6 whenthe control lever 16 isin the position shown in Figure 1, and thestop projection 8 is opposite one of the openings 5, thereby preventing the projection 8 from entering the opening 5 and stopping the mechanism. The end of lever 6 (Figures 1 and 4) is provided with an inclined or beveled surface 28 which lever 16 to move under the influence of its gravity weight 20 to a position where its projection 23 will be engaged by the pin 24 of the gear wheel 25.

A pair of spring contacts 28 and 29 suitably supported from the frame-work and connected in the main signalling circuit are normally held together by a projection 30 (Figures 1 and 6) carried by a punched metallic circuit controlling lever 31 which is secured to a spindle 32, the ends of which are suitably journaled in side plates 3 and 3" Rigidly secured to and actuating spindle 32-and arm 31 is one end of an actuating arm 33, the free end of which engages projection 22 of control lever 16. Formed on the lever 31 is an actuating projection 34 which engages the periphery of and is controlled by the signaling or number wheel 35 driven from the spring'lthrough the actuating gear train in well-known manner to actuate contacts 28 and 29 which open and close the main circuit and transmit proper code signals to the receiving instrument at I the centralstation in well known manner. Secured in the back of the great wheel 2 are diametrically opposite pins 36 (Figures 1 and 2) which engage a projection 37 of actuating arm 33 when stop member 8 is in opening 5, thereby holding the circuit controlling lever in such positlon that the main line contacts 28 and 29 are held closed.

While it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the mechanisms so far de-' scribed would serve to transmitsignals, if such apparatus were operated and the noninterfering magnet failed to hold the armature 18 of control lever 16 when the lever 16 is not held mechanically by pin 24;against the effect of weight 20 tending to move it counter-clockwise in Figure 1, the mechanism would continue to run without transmitting a signal until the main spring 1 ran down because armature 18 would be retracted under the influence of weight 20 and pr0jec-. tion 27 of locking lever 6 would then engage the projection 26 of the lever 16. 7

Except for the improved arrangement of parts between the side plates 3 and 3 permitting the use of punched metallic parts rather than castings that have been heretofore necessitated by the designs utilized, and the improved positioning of the main spring 1 between the great wheel 2 and the guide plate 3 which eliminate side pull and loss of power on the parts present in the common designs heretofore used, the functioning of the mechanism so far described is the same as with the. prior well known devices of the type shown in U. S. Patents #553,873 and #621,093.

To prevent the mechanism from running entirely down, without interfering with the proper operation of the device under normal conditions, a novel emergency stop mechanism is provided. =--As shown in Figures 1 and 7, this stop mechanism comprises a rocker member 39 rigidly secured to a spindle 40 the ends of which are journaled in the side plates. Rocker 39 is provided with a series of ratchet teeth 41 on one side and a smaller series of ratchet teeth 42 close to spindle 40 on its other side. Suitably supported from the frame work is a pawl member 43 (Figure 1) the end of which under the influence of a light spring (not shown) or gravity coacts with the teeth 42 to hold rocker member 39 in adjusted angular position.

Rocker 39 is normally held in the position shown in Figure 1 by means of a spring 44' indicated diagrammatically in Figure 7 which is connected between the rocker and a suitable projection of the frame work. In this position of parts the lowermost tooth 41 of the rocker 39 is in the path of movement of pins 36 carried in wheel 2. As a pin 36 engages the lowermost tooth 40 rocker 39 will be shifted about spindle 40 as a center an amount which will permit the end of pawl 43 to engage the upper tooth 42 of rocker 39, and to hold the rocker in its new position against the tension of spring 44. On the next revolution of a pin 36 past the tooth 41, rocker 39 is again shifted counter-clockwise until pawl 43 drops into engagement with the second tooth 42 of the rocker 39, leaving the next tooth 41 in the path o'f-pin 3.6. The successive engagement of pins 36 and pawl 43 with the teeth 41 and 42 will shift the rocker 39 clockwise step by step in Figure 1 until the projection 45 thereof engages control lever 16, forcing it counter-clockwise about'its pivot pin 17 until armature 18 is swung to the position shown in Figure 1, releasing the projection 26 of the control lever 16 and permitting the stop member 8 to drop into the next stop recess 5 of the flange 4 that passes it.

As stop member 8 moves into the opening 5 bringing the mechanism to rest, 'the left end of arm 6 (Figure 1) will be raised and an extension thereof will engage a pin 46 carried by pawl 43, raising the end of the pawl out of engagement with the end of emergency stop rocker 39, permitting the rocker to restore under the influence of the spring 44 to theposition shown in Figure 1-.

To guard against injury to the mechanism by high tension currents and to reduce the,

way while the mechanism is not operating to transmit signals it will be seen that high tension currents that might inj ure the magnet coils are shunted and injury is normally prevented.

Operation In operation a plurality of the signaling devices are connected to one circuit with contacts 28 and 29 in series with magnets 15 with the central station receiver in the. main line circuits, and with the mechanism at rest contacts 47 and 48 are closed and shunt contacts 27 and 28 and the magnets 15 out of the main line circuit. lhe mechanism is so con- .structed that the several instruments will not interfere with each other even if operated at the same time, the several devices giving their signals under these conditions one after the other. lVhen it is desired to send in a signal, the starting lever 13 is moved so as to separate contacts 47 and 48 and to rock locking lever 6 to move stop member 8 out of the first opening 5, releasing the actuating gear train for movement under influence of spring 1. If a normal current flows through magnet 15, on interruption of contacts 48, the armature 18 which is held in proximity to said magnet, will be attracted and held in position as indicated in Figure 1. Signal-wheel 35 now rotates, and the circuit-controlling arm 31 being disengaged from pin 36 which has moved away from projection 37 is moved up and down by means of the teeth of wheel 35 thereby actuating contacts 28 and 29 make and break said circuit, so as to transmit the signal to the central station. When the circuit is completed by contacts 28 and 29, the armature 18 is held against the force of weight 20 by the magnet 15, and when the circuit is broken by the operation of wheel 35 and the end of arm 33 engagesproj ection 22 of lever 16 and thus prevents armature 18 and lever 16 from shifting under the influence of weight 20. The stop member 8 now rests upon the outer surface of flange 4. At the end of one revolution of wheel 35 the second opening 5 comes opposite stop member 8, and the stop member will enter the opening causing lever 6 to return to its normal position, thereby locking the mechanism from further movement, after a complete revolution of wheel 35 and the transmission of four rounds of signals. Just before the completion of a revolution of wheel '35, pin 36 will engage a.

before the controlling arm 33 drops off the first tooth of the signaling-wheel 35, as the period of time necessary to brin the arm down upon the first tooth after t e mechanism is started exceeds the longest closure of the circuit made by any of the instruments when in operation. Under these conditions the magnet 15 will fail to hold the armature 18 and the controlling arm 16 will be retracted by the weight 20 from the position shown I in full lines in Figure 1. When in this position, the projection 22 of-lever 16 engages the arm 33 of the circuit controlling lever. arrangement and prevents extension 34 0 arm 31 from falling into the notches on the signal wheel 35 and operating contacts 28 and 29. The actuating gear train continues to operate and when the next opening 5 comes beneath stop member 8 the upward movement of the outer end of lever 6 is arrested by the engagement of projection 27 and projection 26 permitting stop member 8 to enter opening 5 slightly, but the curved nose 9' of stop member 8 will be engaged by the edge of flange '4 and member 8 will be forced outward. Stop member 8 is thus held from entering opening 5 sufficiently to stop the operation of the gear train. Just before the completion of the first round of number wheel 35, pin 36 of wheel 2 will engage a tooth 41 of rocker 39advancing rocker 39 one step about its pivot 40 in Figure 1 as above set forth. Immediately after the first round of wheel 35 the pin 24 on wheel 25 again engages the projection 23 of lever 16 and moves the armature 18 into proximity to the poles of the magnet 15 where it will be held if magnet 15 is properly energized. If there isstill another instrument transmitting a signal, armature 18 will not be held, and the lever 16 will be again released'a'nd the operation above described will be repeated, rocker arm 39 being advanced another step clockwise in Figure 1. If, however, there is no other instrument in operation and the circuit remains closed, the lever 16 will be held in its full line position in Figure 1 and the extension 34 of circuit controlling arm. 31 will be free to drop into the notches on the number wheel 35 and transmit the four rounds of signals. If the circuit is open when the instrument is operated and remains open, or if the magnet 15 is not sufor until four revolutions of wheel 35 have occurred without the transmission of signals.

At the end of the fourth revolution of wheel 35, pins 36 will have stepped rocker 39 around until the projection 45 thereof actuates control lever 16 disengaging projection 26 thereof from projection-27 of lever 6 and freeing stop member 8 for movement into opening 5 and causing actuation of pawl 43 to permit restoration of rocker 39 when the parts will again be in normal position with shunt contacts 47 and 48 closed. It will therefore be seen that if the current remains insufficient to cause attraction of armature 18 from the time the mechanism is started until four revolutions of wheel 35 have been completed the mechanism will be stopped in normal position, but if at any time during the first three revolutions of wheel 35 the current is restored the instrument will function to transmit four complete rounds of si nals.

t will be understood bythose skilled in the art that wide variations may be made in the details of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, having described preferred embodiments only of my invention, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent and is claimed as new is:

1. A fire alarm succession box comprising contact carrying means; actuating mecha-' nism for said contact carrying means operable in cycles; control means for said actuating mechanism; a non-interfering magnet; a lever actuated by said non-interfering magnet and controlled by said actuating mechanism and said control means to maintain said actuating mechanism in operation until the completion of a cycle with.the lever in fully attracted position with relation to said magnet near the end of said cycle; and means actuated by said actuating mechanism in any event after a predetermined number of cycles to move said lever mechanically to its fully attracted position near the end of the last cycle and thereby arrest the operation of, said actuating mechanism.

2. A fire alarm succession box comprising contact carrying means; actuating mechanism for said contact carrying means operable in cycles; control means for said actuating mechanism; a non-in rfering magnet; a lever actuated by said non-interfering magnet and controlled by said actuating mechanism and s'aid'control means to maintain said; actuatingmechanism in operation until the completion of a cycle with the lever in fully attracted position with relation to said magnet near the end of said cycle; and a ratchet mechanism actuated by said actuating mechanism in any event after a predetermined number of cycles to move said lever mechanically to its fully attracted position near the end of the last cycle and thereby arrest the operation of said actuating mechamsm.

In testimony whereof I a-ifix my signature.

ERNEST A. FALLER. 

